By: Innovate
We are now well into the New Year and our clients have resolved to get organized, right? What about us, as business owners? Are we as organized as we'd like to be?
Let's be honest, some of us who work out of our homes may be resolving to get our home offices organized, too. Everyone needs to periodically reevaluate their surroundings and determine what is and is NOT working for them. But we know our time is best spent out helping the client with their needs, so our offices do tend to take low priority. Our time with the client is what drives our business.
If and when we are ready to reevaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of our home office, there are some tips and tricks we can implement (just as we would with a client). It takes a commitment of time and effort on our part, but will definitely help us in the long run.
Take stock of what IS working.
- Are your files in order and easy to locate?
- Do you have a system down to manage all the paper that enters the home office (mail, bills, receipts, reading material, etc.)?
- Are your daily necessities (pens, stapler, labeler, computer equipment, etc.) within arms reach and easy to get to?
The idea here is that we take time to evaluate what does work so that we don't waste time on areas in which we are already succeeding. Don't mess with a good thing!
Take stock of what is NOT working.
- Is your desk covered with clutter (bills, paper, etc.)?
- Do you have difficulty easily locating client data and files?
- Are your operational tools chopped up throughout the office? For example, are your desk and computer in one room but the fax and copier in another?
- Figure out what you do want to change and think about possible solutions to improve work flow and simplify the way you work in your home office.
Clean the slate.
- Take all items out of the area in which you are re-organizing (your desk, your file cabinet, the entire office, etc.)
- Clean the spot/space if necessary. You want to be sure you're putting your items back in a clean home.
- Sort the items you are working with.
1. Keep
2. File
3. Donate
4. Belongs elsewhere
5. Toss/Recycle
Tools.
- Do you have the containers you will need to put your day-to-day items back into the office in an efficient and usable manner?
- Do you have containers/storage space for the items you don't use daily (paper, extra supplies, etc)?
Keep your daily necessities out, store the rest.
- Figure out what you use daily (current client files, post-its, etc.)
- Take what you don't use daily and find a good container and/or storage space for it.
Remember organization is a process…not a one shot deal.
Once you have a workable plan in your home office, periodically reevaluate your organizational methods to ensure they are a good fit with your work style and needs. We change, times change, our businesses change over time, and we should recognize and embrace organization as a life-long process that will save us (and our clients) time and money. Additionally, with an organized and efficient home office that fits our style and needs we can "work smarter not harder"!
